Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: January 20th

Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.- Jeremiah 17:5.

It is very remarkable, after the prophet pronounces the curse of confiding in the flesh, and the blessedness of trusting in the Lord, he immediately adds, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."- Jeremiah 17:9. Hence we may infer, that the poison of pride, vain confidence in the flesh, and self-righteous hopes, may lurk under the most exalted pretensions to piety, holiness, and perfection. This matter calls for great care and circumspection.

"As many as are of the works of the law (who in anywise seek to be made righteous by doing) are under the curse."- Galatians 3:10. Think not this contrary to the holiness of God to pronounce such to be cursed, as though the Lord did not hate sin, and love and approve true holiness. No: but such deceive their own souls, and flatter themselves in their own sight. They dishonor the perfection of God’s law, by bringing down its purity and spirituality to a level with their own works and obedience. They reject the righteousness of Jesus, deny the faith of him, look to their own holiness, trust in themselves that they are righteous, confide in the power of the flesh, and so their hearts depart from the Lord. Pride and self-exalting is at the bottom of all this. As they appeal to the law, they must go to the law, and hear its sentence, which sounds nothing but curse, and wrath, and hell.

These are precious evangelical words of Luther: ’So we teach and comfort the afflicted sinner. Brother, it is not possible for thee to become so righteous as to feel no sin at all. In that thou dost feel and acknowledge it, it is a good token; give thanks to God. Christ healeth them that are broken in heart, and saveth sinners. Follow not the judgment of reason, which telleth thee, Christ is angry with sinners; but kill reason and believe in Christ, and the sin which remaineth in thee is pardoned for Christ’s sake, in whom thou believest, whose righteousness is thy righteousness; and thy sin is his sin. Every Christian is a high priest. This is the daily sacrifice of the New Testament, which must be offered up. The evening sacrifice is to kill reason: the morning sacrifice is to glorify God.’ (On Galatians 3:6.) "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."- Jeremiah 17:7.

I am the man who stood accurst;

My heart departed from the Lord:

Flesh was my arm, pride was my lust:

My just deserts to be abhorr’d.

But, Jesus, Lord, what hast thou done?

Turn me, a proud self-righteous foe,

To trust in thee, and thee alone,

And all my former hopes forego.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions; and as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Isaiah 44:22.

Thus, of miserable sinners, God makes happy saints. Here is the work of each divine person in the ever glorious Trinity. God the Father blots out sins in the court of heaven: God the Son by his atonement on the cross; and God the Spirit, in the court of a sinner’s conscience. Believe, and enjoy the comfort of this. Now, may the God of hope fill us with joy and peace in believing this, and make us to abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13.) When the dear women came unto the sepulcher, to see our Lord, they said, who shall roll away the stone from the door? (Mark 16:3.) But behold, it was done. So a poor, broken-hearted sinner says, This thick, black, impenetrable cloud of my sins intercepts between my soul and the light of God’s countenance: it prevents the comforting rays of the Sun of righteousness from shining into my soul. O! who can disperse it? None but God. Behold, he hath done it. And He assures us of it. Look within, and be humble: look up, and be joyful. Did you think a storm of divine wrath and terrible vengeance was gathering over your guilty head? Behold! love speaks, mercy proclaims, grace declares, I have dispersed the cloud; I have blotted out thy sins. Grace super-abounds over all the aboundings of sin. A deluge of pardoning love, mercy, and grace, washes away all thy transgressions. They are all dispersed like a cloud, driven away by the wind. What! all this rich love, mercy, and grace, to such a hell-deserving sinner as I am? and that too, without any terms and conditions, requisites, and deserts of mine! Yes! all is of rich love, free grace, and sovereign mercy. But behold the end of this. It is, to attach thy heart to a sin-pardoning God. O, my soul, return from thy backsliding ways, thy unbelieving thoughts, thy jealousies, and suspicions of thy Lord’s love, unto him! For “I have redeemed thee.” Look on thy sins. See thyself redeemed from them, by blood divine. Look to heaven. See it purchased for thee, and secured by thy Redeemer’s righteousness. Now glory of, and live like a son of God, and a joint heir with Christ. O, may his blood make all serene within! May that purge our conscience from all dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14.)

Redeeming grace, forgiving love,

‘Tis a most glorious theme!

It fills us with the joys above,

God’s glory to proclaim.

Thy Savior calls; my soul, return,

To taste his pard’ng love:

This makes thy frozen heart to burn,

While praise ascends above.